How to Keep My Towels White

Ashley Friedman

Wrapping yourself in a soft white towel after a shower is a simple pleasure. Unfortunately, after a while all white towels can become slightly dingy, despite regular washing. Nothing is less appealing than a dingy gray towel that used to be white. People often think it's impossible to restore their towels to their original brightness. Instead, they give up and buy new towels. Fortunately, a few simple techniques can keep your whites white. With basic household products, you can whiten your white towels and keep them looking bright for a long time.

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Step 1

Presoak your white towels in a basin with 1/3 cup of baking soda and the appropriate amount of laundry detergent for the size of your load.

Step 2

Soak the towels for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Rinse the towels thoroughly with cold water.

Step 4

Launder the towels in the washing machine, using OxiClean or a similar product. Read the packaging to determine how much to put in per load.

Step 5

Wash white towels in hot water with laundry detergent, as usual. Always use the hottest water that the towels will allow. This helps remove stubborn marks.

Step 6

Rinse twice. If your washing machine has an "extra rinse" option, select it. Otherwise, plan to run your load through the washing cycle twice, the second time without detergent.